Editor’s Note: As part of today’s Women on Wednesdays, I share with you a poem written by contributor Moniqua around her online experiences. I appreciated this piece so much, because it echoes sentiments I, too, had when I first stepped into clothes free life and the online space, and it remains the inspiration around how I continue to tweak my online interactions. – hontouniheart

For many Americans who have families, dinner is the most important meal, because it is often the only time people get to spend time together as a family. This goes for singles too who are always working and don’t have a lot of time on their hands to prepare such lavish meals. You may wonder what on earth I am talking about. Well, it’s quite simple, as simple as spaghetti. Yes, spaghetti. Now instead of using ground beef and enriched pasta or a less healthy kind of pasta, we will use healthy vegan alternatives. I love pasta but I don’t love the feeling I get after eating it. Maybe it’s the gluten or the heaviness of it. Who knows? What I do know is that there are many alternatives such as rice pasta, quinoa pasta, soba noodles, buckwheat pasta, pad thai noodles, Asian style rice pasta, and the list goes on. For today’s recipe, I used Asian style rice pasta and I ind it to be the easiest to cook. All you have to do …

As part of our Women on Wednesdays theme today, contributor Moniqua shares about her experiences with interactions through social media and how she has negotiated the online space to best support her needs.

Vegetarian – consisting wholly of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy products Vegan – a person who does not eat any food that comes from animals and who often also does not use animal products Merriam-Webster Dictionary I recently discovered this article “Vegganism: Why Some Vegans Eat Eggs”. and was a little disturbed by the content and the idea that seems absurd to me of “veggans”. Apparently there are people who call themselves “veggans” (not a misspelling of vegan). These are folks who say they eat vegan, but still incorporate eggs into their diet. When I read this article, I was floored. I had to stop and think for a minute because in my understanding of veganism, vegans don’t eat eggs. I’ve been vegan going on three years now and I haven’t eaten a single egg. I believe the proper term for people who eat eggs and no other meat, is “vegetarian”. I am highly favorable of CNN and their website, especially the opinion and health sections. So I read further. I probably should’ve started with …

I recently discovered this article “Vegganism: Why Some Vegans Eat Eggs”. and was a little disturbed by the content and the idea that seems absurd to me of “veggans”. Apparently there are people who call themselves “veggans” (not a misspelling of vegan). These are folks who say they eat vegan, but still incorporate eggs into their diet. One reason given for eating eggs was protein. There are so many plant based proteins, read about them and my reponse to the article which inspired today’s meatless, eggless, protein packed recipe.

I’m not sure where you live, but I live in Texas. It is getting rather warm here, actually it’s hot here. The high today will be 82 degrees. You may be wondering why I am posting a chili recipe if it’s so hot here. Well, in Texas, chili can be eaten anytime, whether it’s snowing in North Texas, or blazing down here in the south. This recipe was made right before I went to a family gathering. I don’t remember what it was for, but I do remember that they loved the chili. This chili was made on a whim, meaning I had never made it before, nor did I know what I was doing or how it was going to turn out. I have to say, I put my foot in that chili, figuratively of course. Here’s the recipe and directions: Benefits of Tea I am an avid tea drinker, drinking tea every single day. I have never been a coffee person, mainly because coffee makes your breath stink and because caffeine has the …

I’ve been reading this book 20 Something, 20 Everything: A Quarter-Life Woman’s Guide to Balance and Direction by Christine Hassler. It’s a very helpful read for women who are going through a quarter-life crisis as myself. Up until I bought this book, I did not know there was such a thing. We have all heard of midlife crisis, mainly in men, but not quarter-life crisis and especially not something like that for women. I had been in a rut, not knowing in which direction my life was going and it was depressing, still is, because I’m 27 and have absolutely no idea where life is going to take me. One particular part of the book talks about body image and how women suffer from this from such a young age. You hear about women who have anorexia, bulimia and other disorders. Growing up they have had self-esteem issues, physical, mental and emotional abuse, and just not feeling like they fit in or matter because of what they look like. The crazy part about it is …

Today we have guest chef Lou with your meatless Monday recipe. I also make this recipe with pumpkin or potatoes instead of carrots, but with less or no ginger. You can also use bacon crumbs or the fake (soy) bacon crumbs at serving time. Ginger is good for you, so use as much as you can handle! Lou Enjoy!! @lou_suarez

This week’s Women on Wednesdays is an offering from clothesfreelife.com contributor Moniqua. As a young girl, she was told by her mother that she was to be seen and not heard. Meaning make her presence known, but don’t say anything. She was dressed from head to toe in the nicest outfits, hair fried, dyed and laid to the side. She was told impressions are everything and that she needs to keep up her appearance. Don’t gain weight, wear fitted clothes, but not too fitted that they look small, show some cleavage to get a job, use her goods to better herself. She was a sexual being and used what she had to get what she wanted. How do you think these things affected her mind as she got older? Instilling these things in her mind caused insecurities later in her life. She became obsessed with making sure that she looked her best to impress people she didn’t like or didn’t even know. This in turn caused insecurities within herself, and she used material things to cover up those insecurities. This is where the weave, …